Clifton Maloney

Clifton Maloney
Born	October 15, 1937(1937-10-15) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	September 25, 2009(2009-09-25) (aged 71) Cho Oyu, China
Alma mater	Princeton University Harvard Business School
Occupation	President Vice president Director
Spouse	Carolyn Maloney (1976–2009, his death)
Children	Christina Maloney Virginia Maloney

Clifton Harlan Wells Maloney (October 15, 1937 – September 25, 2009) was an American businessman.

Early life

A veteran of the United States Navy, Maloney graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Business School. He was also a serious athlete and adventurer^[1] and a member of the Explorers Club, the Alpine Club, and the New York Yacht Club.^[2] Maloney was a lifelong runner who went on to complete the New York City Marathon twenty times, and in 2008 finished the race as the fastest American in his age group.^[3]

Career

Maloney founded the eponymous investment company C. H. W. Maloney & Co., Inc. in 1981, of which he was President. Prior to that, he was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in charge of investment banking.^[4] He was a director of Chromium Industries, Inc., and the Wall Street Fund.^[5] He was active in civic and social service organizations in Manhattan, serving on the boards of directors of Civitas and the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens,^[6] and served as the treasurer for his wife's campaigns.^[7]

Family

In 1976, Clifton Maloney married Carolyn Bosher Maloney, who later was elected the United States Representative for New York's 14th Congressional District in Manhattan and Queens. They had two daughters: Christina and Virginia.

Mountain climbing and death

Maloney was an accomplished mountaineer who at the time of his death was believed to be the oldest American ever to summit an "Eight-thousander," one of the fourteen peaks in the world that are greater than 8,000 meters in altitude.^[8] He climbed five of the "Seven Summits", the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents, including Denali in Alaska, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Aconcagua in the Andes, and Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus.^[9] On September 24, 2009, at the age of 71, Maloney summited the nearly 27,000-foot peak of Cho Oyu, the world's sixth-highest mountain, in Tibet. He reached the summit of the "Turquoise Goddess", as the mountain is known, with the help of a sherpa and a guide, Marty Schmidt.^[10] He then descended to Camp 2 at 23,000 feet. On the morning of September 25, 2009 he woke up and told a companion, "I'm the happiest man in the world -- I have just climbed a beautiful mountain." These were apparently his last words as he went back to sleep and never woke up.^[11]

On October 9, 2009, Maloney's funeral service was held at the Brick Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Nearly 1,000 mourners, including former President Bill Clinton, New York State Governor David Paterson, and former Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, were in attendance at the service, which included a performance by singer-songwriter Carole King of "So Far Away".^[12]

References

1. ^ Biodata
2. ^ [1] "Clifton Maloney, 71, Died on One of Highest Peaks"
3. ^ "Clifton Maloney Death Notice", New York Times, October 1, 2009 New York Times obituary
4. ^ CNN report on Clifton Maloney
5. ^ Notice of Clifton Maloney's death
6. ^ [2] "Clifton Maloney Death Notice", ibid.
7. ^ [3] "Rep. Maloney's Husband Dies on Tibet Trek"
8. ^ [4] "Clifton Maloney, 71, Died on One of Highest Peaks", ibid.
9. ^ [5] "Clifton Maloney Death Notice", ibid.
10. ^ Caruso, David B., "New York Congresswoman's Husband Dies on Mountain Climb", Associated Press, September 26, 2009 Biodata
11. ^ [6] New York Daily News report on Clifton Maloney's death
12. ^ [7] Hundreds Honor Maloney", Our Town, October 15, 2009

External links

Biography portal

• Profile at Forbes.com

Persondata
Name	Maloney, Clifton
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 15, 1937
Place of birth	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Date of death	September 25, 2009
Place of death	Cho Oyu, China